


Darker We Shall Go

by Jevil_Joss



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Chara Likes Chocolate, F/F, Female Frisk, Gaster Narrates My Fanfic, Heavy Spoilers for Undertale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-11-05
Packaged: 2020-12-14 16:03:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21018482
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jevil_Joss/pseuds/Jevil_Joss
Summary: This story is set after the True Pacifist Ending is achieved, where all the monsters now live on the surface--keep in mind, this is NOT Delta Rune.





	1. Introduction

From the inside of the workshop a quiet, peaceful humming was heard. A tall figure bent over a menacing skull, reworking the wiring. Several skeletal hands floated in and out of the figure's reach, each one with a hole in the palm and carrying a tool to or away. Sparks flew, and the figure stepped back. One eye turned around. 

"Ah. Back, are you? Still wanting more of these characters? Frisk and her new friends?" he asked calmly. He smiled, his old skull cracked. "Ah, forgive me. You probably do not know who I am. Or probably do, depending upon the fan. My name is W.D. Gaster."

The skull behind him groaned, moving. Sparks flew from the Gaster Blaster as it shook violently. 

"Pay no mind to that," Gaster said. He straightened his coat, tie, and scarf. The floating hands all set down their tools in their appropriate places and went back to their shelves. "Walk with me a minute."

Gaster began striding out of the room, his coat flaring behind him. "You really like Undertale, don't you? Well, I must warn you, this is not Undertale. It is not, in fact, written by Toby Fox...no, I do believe he is working on Delta Rune. At least, that is what he told me, in any case." He shrugged apologetically. "But that does not mean you cannot enjoy this. After all, it contains your favorite characters, right? Frisk, Undyne, Asgore and Toriel...Asriel and Mettaton and Alphys...Sans and Papyrus..." He cut off. "Oh. Me? I am merely a scientist--one who has learned from past mistakes." He put one hand on his chest, the other extended to the side. "And I am of no consequence to this story. At least, not at the beginning. Or, perhaps, at the end." He pulled a deck of playing cards from a shelf as he passed and began shuffling it as he walked. "There are, of course, plenty of characters you will like in this story. But I am not one of the main characters. No, no I am not."

He flipped the top card off the deck--a two-side Joker, Frisk on one side, Chara on the other. He pocketed it into his lab coat. "You might also wonder about the other characters and their own mysteries...perhaps, where Sans and Papyrus came from." He flipped up the top two cards of the deck--Sans on the ace, Papyrus on the jack. "Or maybe on the long history of Asgore and Toriel." The King and Queen were shown on their respective cards. "Ah. Some of these might be shown in this story. Some will be left as mere questions. And some, just a special some, will be answered chapter one. Or, chapter two, because AO3 has no 'prologue' button you can click."

He flipped up the top card, which was not actually a playing card, but a small card with _Archive of Our Own _written on it. He pocketed that one as well. "But if you like this story, feel free to listen on. I have nothing really important to be doing--that can all happen tomorrow, and it can be tomorrow when it is convenient for it to be tomorrow. Perhaps. One does not know how this sort of thing works at times, while at others you understand if perfectly enough to build your own World, your own little kingdom." He flipped up a card with four images on it, heart, diamond, club, and spade, with the images of Kris, Ralsei, Susie, and Lancer. He smiled fondly at the card, then pocketed it, shuffling the deck again and pulling up the top card, with "Chapter One and a half" written on it. "Shall we begin?"


	2. Chapter 1 1/2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Each chapter is going to begin with a brief scene of Gaster talking.

"Sorry about that," Gaster said, hunched over a table. "Tomorrow happened sooner than expected, and I had to deal with a few things. But now, tomorrow was yesterday, so I am free to talk as I wish." He smiled, turning around, holding up a small jar. Floating in the jar was a small white heart, glowing faintly. He chuckled. "No, this is part of a different story. I am not telling you _that_ story right now, I am telling you _this_ one." Blue fire engulfed his hand, and the jar floated across the room and put itself on a shelf with a flick of the scientist's hand. "Now then. This story starts during the year 201X plus one--the one year anniversary of monsterkind's freedom. Ready? Have yourself a good seat and a drink?" Gaster sat down in a revolving office chair. "Alright then. Let's start." 

Frisk put a hand on her hip, looking up and down the road, then back to the boarded up building in front of them. Undyne scratched her head. "Why...why was the jewelry shop closed down?"

"Who knows?" Frisk said with a shrug and a sigh. "Just means we'll have to get Toriel a different present."

A chuckle came from behind. The two turned to see a woman in a purple coat and pants standing there. She wore her dark brown hair short, used a cane, and wore a pair of cloudy glasses. In her spare hand she carried a worn and damaged binder. "Sorry. Just...this shop has been closed down for several months. The owner skipped town."

"Oh. Probably should have checked that before we left," Frisk said. 

"This Toriel person...she likes jewelry?" the stranger asked. 

"Maybe? I don't know. I just felt like it would be nice, maybe?"

"Hmm." The woman scratched her chin, holding the book to her side with her arm, then pointed down the road. "There's another jeweler's down that way--Maverick's, I think it's called--a bit pricey, but they sell some decent stuff."

"Thanks," Frisk said. "I'm Frisk."

"Minerva," the stranger returned. 

Just as Frisk and Undyne began walking down to the jeweler's, Undyne turned around. "Hey. You said he skipped town. You know why?"

Minerva thought that over for a second. "No. I was at the train station when I saw him leave, though--shame. I have a penchant for jewelry."

"Okay, let's try finding something else for Toriel," Frisk said as they began walking their own way. "I've tried checking out Maverick's before, it is ridiculously expensive. 'Pricey' just doesn't cut it for that place."

"Alright then." Out of her coat pocket, Undyne brought out a notebook, and began flipping through it. "Let's see--we got Asgore's present already, we got Sans' and Papyrus', Alphys' and Mettaton's...hmm..." Annoyed, she flipped up her eye patch. "Ah. And the Slightly-Less-Mad Dummy's."

"Wait, you have two eyes?" Frisk asked. "Why do you where the eye patch?"

"It looks awesome? Duh?" Undyne said. "I know that Toriel has that weird snail obsession. Could we get her something off of that?" She flipped her eye patch back down. 

"Uh...I don't know of anywhere we could get her a snail, Undyne."

Frisk sighed, her arms flopping. "Ah, man. This is not going as planned."

"Should have bought it early," Undyne told her. 

"Ah...fair enough." Frisk looked up. "Napstablook! He was the one who sold Toriel her snails!"

"I don't know if that's true," Undyne said. 

"Whatever. Napstablook used to sell snails...and I know that Toriel hasn't been able to get snails from any human salesman. So we can get 'em from Napstablook."

"Seems like a long shot, but whatever," Undyne said, pocketing the notebook. 

"So...where's Napstablook?" Frisk looked at Undyne expectantly. 

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Undyne demanded, throwing her arms into the air. "Probably with Mettaton?"

"Okay. Let's go there."

"I don't think it counts if you get your gift from one of the other guests," Undyne pointed out. 

Frisk stopped in her tracks, then spun around and glared Undyne. "Why must you be right?"

"Because I always am," Undyne said with confidence. She opened her car door. "You know what? Screw it. Let's just go get her something from...Maverick's, was it?"

"Undyne, the stuff there was way above our price range," Frisk pointed out. 

"Probably above _your_ price range, but I don't get my money from an allowance, I get it from a job," Undyne pointed out. "One that pays quite a bit. At the very least, enough so that I should be able to buy a shiny rock. Get in."

Frisk walked around the car, opened her door. "Alright then."

Sans sat on the bench, doing his favorite inactivity: resting. 

"Maybe I should bring a thing of spaghetti?" Papyrus wondered. He, like usual, wore his 'battle body'. Sans had put a disproportionately small amount of work into it, but for some reason, Papyrus always wore it. 

"Toriel and Martha said they'd handle all the food, so you don't need to bring anything," Sans pointed out. He didn't mention the fact that Papyrus' spaghetti-making skills hadn't improved in the slightest. 

"I need to bring something," Papyrus cried. "I am the Captain of the Royal Guard. Think of how it will look on the rest of the Royal Guard if I don't bring anything!"

"Papyrus, you're the only one _in_ the Royal Guard. Regardless, everything's been handled already. I honestly think you just need to take the time to relax. You've been working yourself..."

"DON"T YOU DARE SAY IT!"

"...down to the bo--" Sans' brilliant and inspired pun was interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled it out and answered it. "Hello. Yeah. Hmm. Okay." He hung up. 

"Who was that?" Papyrus asked. 

Sans stared at the phone screen for a long minute. "My boss, from work."

"You have a job?" Papyrus asked, surprised. 

"Yeah. Bills don't pay themselves, that would be...weird." Sans looked at his phone. "But, uh, something came up. I've got to go."

"But you'll be back in time for the party, right?" Papyrus asked. 

Sans stopped for a second. "No. It's...it's going to be a tough one." Sans rose to his feet. "Ah, man. This is annoying." He walked off, slowly.

Papyrus stared after him. "Poor Sans. I know! I can get him a gift to make him feel better! Wait, I still need to get something for the Queen!" He slapped a hand to his forehead. "I'll get him his gift tomorrow. For now, the King and Queen! Maybe they're into jewelry?"

Thirty minutes and one ridiculously expensive heart locket later, Frisk stacked up all the presents in her room. "Okay. That's everyone's. You know the plan?" 

"Leave it as a surprise until halfway through the party, where you'll bombastically unveil them?" Undyne said. 

"Yeah, but...not bombastically." Frisk looked at her. Undyne raised her eyebrow. Frisk briefly wondered why Undyne had hair if she was a reptile, but decided against asking. 

"Well, regardless of presentation, they'll like the gifts," Undyne said. 

Knowing that they'd all be together, all her friends, all of them happy...that knowledge filled her with a familiar feeling. DETERMINATION. But...she breathed in and out. Her eyes passed over the small yellow star that sat in the corner of the room. It hovered, twinkling. She stared at it for a minute, then ignored it. "Yeah. They'll be surprised, no doubt."

Undyne exited her room. "Well, I'm going to continue the help with setting up the party. Come on down when you're ready."

"Yeah." As Undyne left, Frisk looked to the star in the corner. She reached her hand out to the warm, familiar light...then snatched it back. She turned her back on it without touching it. 

"Still not saving?" a dry voice asked. Frisk stopped, hand clenching around the door knob. She turned to the half-transparent figure, lounging on her bed--green striped shirt, shorts, short brown hair and bright red eyes. 

"What do you want, Chara?" Frisk asked. 

Chara shrugged. "I'll find that out someday," she replied. 

Frisk glared at her. 

"Oh, the silent treatment. You are quite good at that. Me, I was never a quiet person. Couldn't help talking."

Frisk opened the door. 

"Really, you are one of the most powerful people in existence," Chara called out. She thumbed towards the floating star. "You ought to use that power, Frisk."

Frisk didn't like talking. So she didn't. She left, closing the door behind her. 

Chara sighed--but, having been dead for XXX years, there was nothing she could really do. 

"I do hope there's chocolate," she muttered, stretching. She grabbed the star, feeling it in her hands, then crushed it to dust with a scoff. "Foolish girl."


	3. In Which Everyone Decides to Ruin Frisk's Party

"Ah. Back again, are we?" This time, Gaster didn't even look up from his work. "After that last one, I imagine you are quite curious, aren't you?" He laughed, then coughed. "Apologies. I have...not been well. Not since tomorrow. And, since tomorrow was yesterday, that means I am feeling bad today. Today is not tomorrow, though." He laughed again, turning around. "Perhaps, perhaps not. One never knows until it is tomorrow, and then it isn't tomorrow, it is today."

He smiled apologetically. "But you(probably) didn't come here to listen to me ramble about today and tomorrow and yesterday. So I will tell you what you did come here to listen to. A slightly troubled Frisk going to her party...only to discover that almost everyone was intent on ruining it."

The first blow, came, of course, when she found out that Sans couldn't come. That was...mostly okay. They would still have a good time, and Toriel decided to save him a slice of the cake she'd baked. 

They kept talking, but after thirty minutes, Frisk became aware of Chara sitting there, watching over everyone, and, due to everyone else being there, was unable to call her out about it. She didn't know why she could still see Chara--but she felt like telling Toriel, "Hey, I see your hundred-year old dead kid as a ghost and she's a bitch" was not really appropriate, for several reasons. 

When the time came to bring out the gifts, she retrieved them and surprised everyone. Toriel, much to Frisk's relief, liked the locket, and also to her relief, did not ask about the price. Asgore's present was a large pack of flower seeds. Papyrus got a bunch of chef supplies. Alphys got a signed copy of the autobiography of Katherine Mew, the 'visionary' behind Mew Mew Kissie Cutie. Mettaton and Napstablook's gift was a CD disc full of human songs that Frisk thought they'd like. The Calmish-But-Definitely-Still-Angry Dummy's gift was a signed apology, and he appeared to finally be happy about something. Sans' gift was a comfy pillow, which Toriel put in a spot to give it to him the next time she saw him. 

Everyone had a good time, and Frisk even caught Toriel and Asgore talking, when Toriel thought no one was looking. Mettaton and Napstablook talked to the Mad Dummy. Papyrus, Undyne, and Alphys chatted together. 

But, as all good times do, the party ended. Mettaton and Napstablook went off to the place they were staying at, Papyrus left to his home. Alphys said she was tired, and went off to her home. Frisk's dad went off to bed as well. Frisk hadn't noticed the Dummy leave, but he had left. Finally, it was just her, Toriel, Asgore, and Undyne. 

"This is going to be a pain to clean up in the morning," Toriel said, rubbing her head. 

"Possibly," Undyne said. 

Chara leaned against the back of the couch where Frisk had lied down, holding a spectral piece of cake and eating it with a fork. Frisk had no idea where she'd gotten it. "It's chocolate," Chara said happily, giving Frisk a thumbs up. "Your mom is awesome."

Frisk didn't say anything--talking to a ghost only she could see would only lead to awkward questions. 

"Well, its the price of having a big party," Asgore stated. He wore a Hawaiian shirt, and had seated himself on a big chair, which was slightly too small for him. 

The door banged open. Everyone leaped up, except Chara, who continued eating her cake. Undyne had a blue energy spear in one hand as Minerva rushed into the room, half-carrying, half-dragging Sans. 

Sans was bleeding. 

"Good God, what happened?" Undyne cried as Minerva put Sans down on the couch Frisk had vacated. 

"The idiot tried taking on someone too tough for him," Minerva replied. She stepped back as Toriel and Asgore rushed over. 

Frisk backed away, memories flooding her brain. 

The last time she'd seen Sans bleed. 

She wanted to cry out, say something, _anything_, but no words came out. 

"What do you mean? Is Sans out picking fights with people?" Asgore asked, surprised. 

"No. They started it, from what I heard," Minerva said. "When I came up on him, I saw him sitting there, bleeding, with a talking sunflower."

A hush fell over everyone. "A talking...flower?" Toriel asked. 

"Flowey," Frisk whispered. That made sense. From what she'd heard, Flowey could take Sans in a fight. 

"Is he bleeding?" Asgore asked. 

"What's all the commotion?" Frisk's mother called out. Martha walked into the room, then looked right at Sans. "Good fucking God!"

"That's not blood," Undyne whispered. "That's...pure determination."

Frisk almost asked her how exactly Undyne knew what that looked like, but felt like that would be a poor idea. 

"Flowey's back?" she asked. She turned around. "Minerva, how did you find our--"

Minerva was gone. "What the FUCK is going on?" Martha cried out. "Why is Sans bleeding out on my couch?"

"He's still alive," Asgore said. "If a monster dies, they die immediately. If they don't die, they just rest and regain their magical strength, healing themselves. So...he'll be fine?"

"Call Alphys," Frisk told Undyne. "If that is liquid determination, she might be able to tell us if there's anything else going on we need to do."

Frisk looked at Sans. Then she began striding to the door. 

"Where are you going?" Toriel asked. 

"That flowery bastard is hunting my friends," Frisk replied, without stopping or turning around. "I'm going to ask him to stop." She walked out the doorway, a sick feeling in her heart. Chara walked next to her. "And if he says no?" 

Frisk didn't answer. She walked through Chara's incorporeal body and onward. Chara stopped, looking after Frisk. "Huh," Chara said. "Wonder who the purple girl was...she looked familiar."


	4. Flowers and Hearts in a Non-Fluffy Fashion

"You might be wondering some things," Gaster said, bent over the bench. "But I can't read minds, so I don't know what it is you are wondering about. If you somehow managed to ask me, I could answer, but that does not seem possible, at the moment. How does this story end?" He paused. "I do not know. You see, it is happening in the time at which I tell you about it. If I am not telling you about it, it is not happening. If it is not happening, I cannot possibly know how it ends. Or, more exactly, some fragments of me do, some do not. I was, after all, shattered across time and sp--"

A door banged open. "Hey, Doc," a voice called out. A young man peeked into the room. "Where's the duct tape?"

Gaster turned to him. "On the shelf."

"There isn't any on the shelf."

Gaster sighed. "That means we are out. I'll get some tomorr--" He frowned. "No, I'll get it when I'm ready, not when tomorrow is ready."

"Kay. Oh, you have a guest?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Sorry." The man left. 

Gaster turned back around. "Sorry about that. Now then. On with the story?"

Frisk hadn't realized she was climbing the mountain until she found the back door into Asgore's castle. But, as she looked through the doorway, she thought, _Where else do I like?_

She entered the castle. Right down the hallway, a small, golden flower peaked out of the ground. The flower turned around to face her. "Frisk?" Flowey asked. "What...what are you doing here?"

"You hurt Sans," Frisk accused. 

Flowey stared at her a minute. "You...you..."

He laughed, cruelly, bitterly. "**Y o u i d i o t. **Do you really think I could land a hit on Sans without the power to reset?" He laughed again. "Golly! You sure are gullible _and_ stupid!"

"But--Minerva said she saw you over by him, and he was hurt so--" She stopped. 

Flowey stared at her. Then, his shape wriggled, turning into a giant, grinning face. "AH HA HA HA! DID YOU REALLY FALL FOR THAT? MINERVA WAS THE ONE WHO FOUGHT HIM, YOU IDIOT!"

"But...but...how did you know her name?" Frisk asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Flowey grinned. "Did you not figure that out? After all you've seen of ghosts and people coming back to life, you think someone with as much **P E R S E R V E R A N C E** as she did would stay dead? Where did you think the six human souls went?"

"I..." Frisk didn't have anything to say to that. "Huh."

"HA HA HA HA!" Flowey laughed, flopping over, his petals fanning back and forth. "You...you...you idiot."

"So you've said," Frisk said. 

"He's right," Chara said. 

"You shut it," Frisk snapped. 

"Rude," Flowey said. "I mean, fair, but rude."

Frisk looked at him. "Wait. Can't you see her?"

"See who? Frisk, are you delusional?" Flowey stopped. "Actually, so much suddenly makes sense now."

"Can it, Pollen-Bag," Frisk snapped. 

Flowey looked behind her. "Hmm. Minerva, right?"

Frisk spun around. True enough, the woman in the purple coat had appeared, this time, however, she carried a katanna over her shoulder instead of a book. She straightened her glasses, then glared at Flowey. "Flowey." She turned to Frisk. "Ah. There you are."

"Um...hi?" Frisk said. 

"She smells like dust and old books," Chara noted, walking around Minerva. 

Minerva frowned at Chara, then strode forward. 

"Why did you attack Sans?" Frisk asked, walking backwards, staying out of range of Minerva's sword. 

Minerva didn't speak. She extended one hand and flicked her wrist. Small, white bullets appeared out of the air. With another flick of her wrist, the bullets shot towards Frisk. Frisk quickly realized she hadn't SAVED in a year and hadn't entered a FIGHT in a year. As everything turned black and white, Frisk spun around, evading the bullets. They looked like...tiny books? As one hit her in the head, she realized that they hurt more than one would think. Rubbing her head, she jumped back, dodging around. 

"You spoke to Minerva," Chara mused. "She didn't seem to care."

"Minerva! Stop!"

Grimacing, Minerva created a series of bullets in a wide circle around Frisk. "Sorry, buddy," Minerva said. 

The books, in unison, shot towards Frisk. 

But they never hit. A small, white bullet zoomed forward and hit Minerva. Minerva stepped back, surprised. 

"Boy, you really are an idiot," Flowey said, popping up right next to Frisk. "Please don't die." Frisk straightened her feet. She took a deep breath. In, and out. She opened her eyes. 

A small, yellow star appeared in front of her. A SAVE point. 

"A battle is ahead of you," Chara said, smiling. "You're filled with--"

Minerva slashed, cutting the star in half. "No thank you, not today," she said. The star disappeared. 

"--the FUCK?" Chara said. 

"I have not come this far only to uselessly kill you dozens of times as you keep RESETTING the world to your own personal enjoyment," Minerva said. 

"Yikes, that's a first," Flowey said. "Um, what's your plan, Frisk?"

"Hmm..." Frisk thought about that for a minute. "Book it." She turned and ran. Something she'd noted a while back, during her battle with Undyne, flared in her memory. Undyne always either shot bullets, or ran after her. She never moved and fired bullets at the same time. Or, at least, didn't move fast while firing. 

Sure enough, as she ran, Minerva cursed, then ran after her. Frisk ran through the castle at a quick pace. 

"Frisk, there's only one exit to the Underground," Flowey said, popping in and out of the ground, keeping pace with her. He shot a bullet, deflecting some of Minerva's bullets. "You can't get out of here without getting out through there."

"He's right, you kinda trapped yourself," Chara replied. 

"Will the two of you just SHUT UP?" Frisk screamed at them, increasing her speed. 

"There's only one person talking," Flowey said with a raised eyebrow. He looked back at Minerva. "So _that's_ where the human souls went. Or at least, one of them."


	5. vs Perserverance

"I am indeed wondering how Frisk is going to get out of this," Gaster said. "Oh. I'm sorry. You see, I do not yet know how this story ends. That is because it has not yet ended. It is still going. I tell it to you as it happens."

He laughed. "In truth, I am very curious," Gaster said. "Frisk somehow always manages to get out of a troublesome situation, whether defying kings or gods or merely bad weather. But now, trapped behind a closed wall and someone as relentless as she is, does it look like there is no way out? Perhaps, perhaps not. Shall we continue?"

Frisk jumped into the elevator, the door closing behind her. Flowey popped out of the bottom of the elevator. Chara flopped down on her back, looking up at Frisk. Frisk slumped against the wall, slamming the button to make the elevator go. As she had found out on multiple occasions, the elevators could be...difficult. Something(presumably, Minerva or a bullet) hit the door, and bounced off. 

"Yay, you're not dead," Chara said. "Whoo hoo."

Frisk decided to ignore her. 

"The elevator is playing relaxing music," Chara added. 

"Soooo...you got any other **BRILLIANT** ideas, Frisk?" Flowey asked. "Maybe you could trap yourself with a tiger next! Boy, wouldn't that be **FUN?!?!**"

"Quit screwing with the dialogue box," Chara reprimanded. 

Frisk fell to the ground, covering her ears. 

"Uh...Frisk?" Flowey asked. 

"Shut up."

"Are you o--"

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Frisk screamed. "Both of you, just shut up!"

"Frisk, we're alone in the elevator," Flowey said. "There's no one else here, you i--" He paused. She glared at him, desperately fighting back tears. "Look, Frisk, we're alone. No one else is talking. Kay?"

"Chara won't shut up."

"Ouch," Chara muttered. 

Flowey paused. "Frisk, Chara's been dead for over a hundred years," he told her. 

"SO HAVE YOU!" Frisk cried. "You died just after she did! Minerva--Asgore killed her! I've been killed hundreds of times! You did it half of those times!"

"I...suppose that's fair," Flowey said. "But everyone can see Minerva and me. As for Chara, I'm reasonably certain you're just hallucinating."

Frisk glared at him. 

"What? I'm right!" Flowey replied. 

"I don't feel like a hallucination," Chara commented. "But would I even know?" Frisk threw her phone at Chara. The phone, of course, went right through her, hit the elevator, and bounced to the ground. Then started ringing. Chara picked it up and passed it to Frisk, who took it, then gave Chara an alarmed look before returning to the phone. She answered it. 

"Hello?" a voice asked. "I'd like to speak to Doctor G--wait. Oh, no. I did it again. Is...is this the wrong number? We're very very--"

Frisk hung up. 

"Wat." Flowey said. "Was. That."

"No frikkin clue," Frisk said. 

"Wow. That's only ever happened once before--including resets," Chara said. 

Gaster's phone rang. He reached into his pocket, looked at the caller ID, then silenced his phone. "Ah, yes. Where were we?"

"Who was calling?" Flowey asked. 

"I don't even care," Frisk said. 

"How did they call you? We're in the Core right now," Flowey asked. 

"This elevator sure is taking its sweet time," Chara commented. She gave a fake cough, then slammed an incorporeal hand into the side of the elevator. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Chara gave an appreciative nod. Frisk stepped out into the Core. 

"The smell of smog and the sound of gears...you're filled with determination," Chara said. 

"It doesn't work like that," Frisk told her. 

"So, does she, like, follow you around?" Flowey asked. As Frisk walked through the Core, he popped up next to her. Frisk pushed a button on the elevator that lead to Hotland. Nothing happened. 

"The elevator appears to be broken," Chara commented. 

"Yeah. She walks around, narrating everything I do," Frisk told Flowey. "It's honestly kind of annoying."

"Hey!" Chara said. 

Frisk walked over to the ramp that lead the slow way through the Core. She looked over the edge into a lake of molten lava. "Without Ice Wolf chucking ice into the Core, it appears to have overheated."

"And exploded," Chara added. 

Frisk sighed, then began walking. "Guess I might as well start walking."

Minerva landed on the walkway ahead of her. Frisk stopped in her tracks. Minerva stood up, pulling her sword out. 

"I don't want to fight you," Frisk said. 

"Don't lie to me," Minerva replied. "I know your little secret. What you've done." She scoffed. "The power to change the world. And yet..." She glared at Frisk. "You're an affront to everything I've fought for. I don't want to kill you--but my goals can only be achieved after you die. And besides...not as if _he_ would let me back out now."

Frisk didn't know how to respond to that. Deep down, she did want to fight--the thrill of the chase, thrill of victory. Emotions she'd repressed for over a year, if you counted the many resets. 

She had to fight Minerva. And yes, some part of her would enjoy it. But she wouldn't let it rule her. Never again. 

"Flowey," she said. "Go. Get help."

"Frisk, no one's going to be able to get here in time," Flowey said. "I'm the only one able to--"

"Go. Get. Help." 

Flowey frowned. "You're funeral," he decided, then popped back into the ground. Frisk looked up at Minerva. Sweat beaded her brow. Molten lava and metal steamed below. The FIGHT was about to begin. The world slowly faded to black and white, except for two souls. Frisk's red soul, and Minerva's purple one. 

And she grinned. 


	6. Megalovania

"You might need to be aware of one, tiny detail," Gaster explained. "You see, this fanfic is set after a Pacifist ending. But that Pacifist route came after a Genocide route. Frisk climbed the mountain and fell down, and the first one she met lied to and tried to kill her. Logically, she was pretty mad. And then she got a taste for killing, and kept doing it. Chara revealed herself, and the two did it several more times. Except it stopped being fun. Killing everyone was no longer enough. So...she thought up an idea. What happens...if they live?"

Gaster laughed. "She toyed around with the idea, and, after many, many, deaths, eventually managed to do it." He smiled. "Ah, such determination. The will to live. The will to topple gods. The will...to just stand your ground and say 'no'. I wish I had it."

"You really want to kill me?" Frisk asked. "You might find that pretty tough."

"Don't care," Minerva replied. 

Frisk shrugged. Chara had vanished--she always faded from sight whenever Frisk entered a battle. But her voice was ever present. 

_Smells like dust and old books._

"As someone once asked me," Frisk said, "do you want to have a bad time? Cause, if you do, take another step. I dare you."

Frisk grinned. Minerva stepped forward, then rushed forward, slashing at Frisk. Frisk ducked beneath the first sword swing. She dodged past the second. For the third, she jumped above, kicked the sword down, and planted a foot into Minerva's face. Minerva stumbled backwards, her face fuzzing out, turning into a white blur. 

_Something is familiar about the blur..._

Frisk remembered. 

_Smells like Amalgam._

"Are you an Amalgamate?" Frisk asked. 

Minerva's face reformed, and she glared at Frisk. Then, she rushed forward, swinging over and over again. From the sides, bullets appeared, shooting towards Frisk. She had expected Frisk to step backwards, out of range of the sword, and walk right into the bullets. Frisk, however, stepped forward, sliding beneath the blade, and rammed her fist into Minerva's stomach. Minerva slid backwards across the walkway. 

She was pissed, but completely unharmed. Which was troublesome. 

Minerva lunged, slashing down at Frisk. Not sure where it came from, Frisk blocked with a dagger. She knocked the sword back and stabbed Minerva. Minerva's chest fuzzed up, and she leapt backward, her chest blurring and reforming. 

"It's true, isn't it?" Minerva asked. "You really are made of LOV."

Levels of Violence. "No one's LOV all the way down," Frisk answered. 

"You're made of LOV," Minerva said. "But...I really think...I really think I can be stronger than you." She leapt forward, slashing several times. Frisk blocked with the dagger each time, then slashed Minerva's leg. Her leg fuzzed up, and she stumbled. Frisk leapt out of reach of the sword. "You don't have to do this," Frisk told her. 

"Yes, yes I do," Minerva growled, rising. Bullets shot towards Frisk, who dodged beneath them. 

"You are a despicable monster," Minerva said. "I _refuse_ to lose to you."

Frisk had learned something by this point. If someone wanted to talk about their feelings, you let them. _Minerva keeps speaking._

"You...you hold back everyone," Minerva said, slashing at Frisk. Frisk parried. Minerva leaned her weight against the blade. "You think you can hold the world by a string." Frisk shoved Minerva back. With a savage cry, Minerva slashed at her again, saying, "You hold such immense power! Power to make everything okay! Power to make everything good!"

Frisk ducked beneath the sword again, then kicked Minerva in the stomach with both her feet. Minerva grabbed hold of one of the safety rails and threw herself back down, stabbing Frisk through the stomach. Pain erupted up Frisk's side. She gritted her teeth, and slashed at Minerva's face. Minerva leapt out of the way, pulling her sword out of Frisk's stomach. Frisk cried out in pain, lying on the ground. 

"You...you're evil," Minerva said. "You...you have to be. Right? Cause...everything he told me about you has to be true. Right?"

Frisk struggled to her feet, leaning on the safety rails for support. "I'm...I'm not evil. I changed. Just like you can. Just like anyone can."

"You're lying!" Minerva screamed. "Please...just...tell me you're evil. Tell me you don't have any regrets about what you did. So...so, for just once in my life, I can do something right." She choked, on the verge of tears. "I...I need to do this."

"No. You don't."

Minerva looked up at Frisk. Gritting her teeth, she charged forward, sword pointed for Frisk's heart. Frisk was too hurt to dodge. Her only hope was too block. But did she have enough strength to block? She held up the worn dagger. 

"You did your best," Chara whispered to her. Chara appeared beside her. "Everyone dies eventually."

Frisk took a deep breath. "But not today. I have people waiting on me to win."

She brought the dagger down on top of the sword, pinning the sword to the walkway, then slammed her foot down on it. The sword shattered, half the blade ending up embedded in the walkway. Minerva stumbled backwards. 

Frisk threw the dagger off the edge. "I don't want to fight you," Frisk said. She smiled encouragingly. 

Tears welled up in Minerva's eyes. She fell to her knees. Frisk stepped forward, around the sword, and hugged her. "It's okay," she whispered. Minerva broke down, sobbing against Frisk's small form. Frisk patted her on the back. 

_Creeeeeeeeak._

Frisk turned to the sword. The metal walkway was cracking down the middle. "Let's run," Frisk suggested.

They barely got past the sword before the walkway split down the middle. The center of the walkway collapsed into the lava. Frisk grabbed a hold of the side bars with one hand, and grabbed Minerva's arm just before she fell off. "Come on!" she cried. She pulled, trying to heave Minerva up. Minerva looked down below. The rest of the walkway had fallen into the lava.

"Frisk!" Chara cried. She jumped across the slanted platform, grabbing Frisk's hand. Her hand went right through Frisk. She looked at her incorporeal hands, then looked at Frisk. "Come on, Frisk! You can do it!"

"Someone!" Frisk called out. "Anyone! Help!"

Her plea echoed around the room. 

Tears welled up in Chara's eyes. "But no one came," she whispered. "Frisk...I...I'm sorry."

The bar Frisk had grabbed a hold of cracked, beginning to come off the walkway. Frisk tried pulling herself and Minerva up to safety, but she wouldn't have succeeded if she didn't have a gaping wound in her side. Then the bar came off. 

And a gloved hand grabbed Frisk's wrist. "I got you, Frisk!" Papyrus cried. With his other hand, he grabbed Undyne's hand. "Come on, Frisk! Pull! And for the love of God, don't let go!" Undyne cried. Holding her other hand, Asgore called out, "It'll all be okay!"

Frisk smiled as her friends pulled her and Minerva to safety. "Are you alright?" Toriel asked, grabbing Frisk. "Oh my god, you're side...!"

"I'm fine, just a little blood loss," Frisk said with a smile and a laugh. And a cough, though that hadn't been intentional. 

Minerva sat up, rubbing her head. 

"I...I'm sorry..."

"It's fine," Frisk said with a laugh. She coughed again. "The coughing's probably not good," she said. "Um, is Mom here?" 

"Right here," Martha cried. She broke through the group of monsters, pulling out a med-kit. She pulled up Frisk's shirt, then began wrapping the bandage around the wound. "Help me apply pressure," she said. 

Minerva stood up, suddenly alarmed. "Oh no...oh no no no no no..."

Across the burning pit of lava, standing in a doorway at the other side of the room was a figure in black. A black cloak swept around him, a tie and a scarf around his neck. A skeletal hand brushed snow from his shoulder. 

"Gaster," Minerva whispered. 

"Hey, Sans, Dad's back!" Papyrus cried. He suddenly became alarmed. "Wait. Sans, Dad's back!"


	7. Darkest Yet

The room was empty. The Gaster Blaster sat in its corner, the tools neatly packed onto the shelf. And a simple not was tacked onto the work bench, reading nothing more than, _Out for work--WDG_

Gaster strode out over the lava, a walkway materializing into existence in front of him as he walked. "Who is that?" Toriel asked. 

"The old royal scientist!" Alphys cried. "But...but...didn't he fall into the Core?"

"Doesn't seem to have stopped him," Sans said. "Let's see what he wants."

"He wants Frisk," Minerva said. Everyone looked at her. "Because of her determination. He thinks he can build himself a better body with it...? He wasn't too keen on explaining it, and I didn't understand most of what he did say..."

"Holy shit, he's real," Undyne said. Everyone looked at her. "Look, I meet the guy in Alphys' lab, these two dorks working with them, then he vanishes and Alphys and I are the only ones who remember him. What was I supposed to think?"

"Are you kidding me?" Frisk said. "I've been trying to figure out who the hell that guy was, and you guys knew the whole time?"

"He's coming," Undyne said, summoning a blue energy spear. Asgore summoned his trident. Flowey summoned a ring of bullets. Gaster stepped up onto the platform. "Ah. Yes. The gang's all here. Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Flowey, Papyrus." He frowned. "Sans."

"Hi."

Gaster turned to Frisk. "Ah, and the humans. And a half." He ruffled the confused Chara's hair. 

"Look, whaddya want?" Frisk demanded, trying to stand. Martha, pushed her back to the ground. "No standing for you. Not in your state."

Gaster turned to Minerva. "First and foremost, I asked you to bring her alive, and you stabbed her and nearly drowned her in lava. Second, if she had landed in the lava, it would have shattered her across the space-time continuum, and I'd have preferred dealing with dead Frisk."

"I can explain!" Minerva cried. 

Gaster flicked his wrist. Minerva hit the ground and dispersed into a cloud of white smoke. A small, purple heart clattered to the ground. "Save it for someone with the time to listen."

"Minerva!" Frisk cried. 

Gaster turned to her. "Ah. Here we are." He flicked his wrist again, and Frisk shot into the air, floating right up beside his shoulder. "Ahk! Put me down, you creep!"

"Put her down!" Undyne cried, throwing a spear. The spear went right through Gaster, causing his body to convulse. He looked at Undyne. Undyne threw several more spears, each of which having the same effect. 

"Are you done?" Gaster asked. 

"Not by a long shot!" Undyne cried, throwing another spear. 

"Well, I have places to be, so..." He waved one hand. "Boi."

A heart-shaped bullet hit Gaster's head. Gaster cried out, clutching his face. His eyes glared between his fingers. 

"You will not take Frisk!" Mettaton shouted. "You will not take our friend!"

"That is not how arguments work," Gaster hissed. 

"Heh, he sounds pained," Chara grinned. 

Gaster flicked his wrist, sending Chara's ghostly form flying. "You see, in order to convince someone of anything, you first have to apply reasons to why you want it, and why they should want it. You cannot just say 'you believe this now'. You must make me believe."

"She is our friend!" Toriel cried. Rings of fire appeared around her, then circled around Gaster. "She has done so much to help us. Her presence brightens up our life, and knowing that she'll never give up makes me hold on even in the darkest hours."

"How could we turn our backs on someone so friendly, so crucial to our happiness?" Asgore asked. He summoned a ring of fire of his own. His and Toriel's bullets all hit Gaster, who slashed one hand outward. The fire dispersed, never even touching him. A lightning bolt struck him in the face seconds after he'd moved his hand. He cried out in pain, and Frisk fell to the ground with a thud. 

"And as for you," Alphys said, "you...you can go to hell! Seriously! Go to hell and come back, cause that'll be easier than taking Frisk from us! You won't ever be able to take our friend away from us! You shouldn't even try!"

"And as for Frisk herself, she has a habit of ruining evil master plans," Flowey commented. A ring of bullets appeared around Gaster. "Honestly, I find it annoying, but it certainly makes trying to do anything to hurt her waaaay harder."

A blast of white energy hit Gaster. His form fuzzed, and he screamed. 

Papyrus stood, pointing dramatically at Gaster, one foot on the apropriately named Gaster Blaster. "You have taken more than your fair share already! You really need to just let this one go!"

"Yeah, I can't see how you thought this would go well," Sans said. A single bone appeared behind Gaster and hit him. A flash of pink went through Gaster, who fell to his knees. Then, a ring of Flowey's pellets, Sans' and Papyrus' bones, Toriel and Asgore's fire, Undyne's spears, Alphy's lightning, and Mettaton's hearts appeared around Gaster. 

And one tiny red knife. 

"No one..." Chara growled, climbing back up onto the platform. "No one rag dolls me."

"This is why you don't mess with us!" Asgore said. "Everyone! Hit him!"

Every single bullet shot towards Gaster. But...

"ENOUGH!"

The world shattered. The pieces fell away. They found themselves standing on a featureless white plane. Gaster rose, dusting himself off. "You have made your point clear," he said simply. "You have officially made this way harder than the original way I had planned." He reached over and picked up the purple heart. He tossed it to Toriel, who caught it, barely avoiding dropping it. "Do whatever you want with her." Then he simply disappeared. 


	8. An End

"This is all just a bad dream..."

"Frisk! Wake up!"

Frisk opened her eyes. She was in her room, on her bed. Toriel, Asgore, Undyne, Alphys, Mettaton, Sans, Papyrus, and Martha all stood around her. And of course, Chara sat on her bed, looking down on her, smiling. "Hello, Sleeping Beauty."

"Frisk, you're awake!" Toriel cried. 

"How did we get back?" Frisk asked, rising and leaning against the back of her bed. She felt her stomach. The wound was bandaged, and someone had taken away her ripped-up blood-soaked shirt. She looked around. 

"Um...we don't know?" Alphys said with a shrug. "All I know is, its the day of the party, yes, but...several hours earlier." 

Frisk looked over and saw the large stack of presents. "Dammit. Now I can't surprise all of you with gifts."

"Well, we'll just pretend we don't know," Asgore said in a conspiratorial whisper. Frisk laughed. 

"I feel like multiple explanations are in order," Martha said. "For example, Frisk, honey, who is your friend?"

"What are you talking about?" Frisk asked, confused.

Chara tapped her shoulder. "They can see my silhouette, but they don't know who I am, and they can't hear me," she said. 

Frisk pointed at Chara. Martha nodded. "The shadowy figure."

"Holy fuck, I wasn't hallucinating," Frisk exclaimed. 

"Surprise to everyone," Flowey said from her window. 

"Um...how the hell do I put this?"

"What's her name?" Toriel asked with a chuckle. 

"Uh...Chara?"

Toriel blinked. "Oh. Hah, I, uh, knew a Chara once. She was..."

"...Toriel, it's Chara's ghost. She's been following me around since I fell down Mount Ebott."

Toriel stopped, then looked at the shadowy figure. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"...multiple reasons."

Chara laughed. "Honestly, I'm just glad more than one person can see me."

"Now then, on to..." Martha turned to Sans. "...Gaster."

"Wing Din Gaster," Alphys interrupted. "That's his name. He was the previous royal scientist, before me."

"But wasn't the one before you...he was...his name was..." Asgore frowned. "Why can't I remember?"

"The Core uses the space-time continuum to produce electrical power," Sans explained. "So when Gaster fell into it, he got..." He paused, thinking his response through. "Shattered across the space-time continuum. In simple terms. What you saw wasn't Gaster, it was...part of him. One of his bodies."

"Even before he fell, Dad had a number of them," Papyrus said. 

"Which is what he wanted Frisk for," Undyne said. "To build himself a better body. Am I right?"

"None of his bodies really stay together for long," Sans said. "He has to maintain them. He probably thought that Frisk's determination could fix that." He stood up, stretching. "Well. I'll be in the kitchen, if anyone needs me." He turned and walked into Frisk's closet. 

"I will also be in the kitchen," Papyrus proclaimed. He then jumped out the window. The glass shattered. Undyne walked over and peaked into Frisk's empty closet. "Where the hell did he go?" Undyne asked. 

"I find it best not to ask," Frisk answered. 

"What do we do with this?" Toriel asked, holding up Minerva's purple heart. Frisk reached over for it, and Toriel handed it to her.

"Well, I guess we wait and see if she comes back," Frisk said. "I...hope she's alright."

"Don't bet anything important on it," Flowey said dryly. 

"What are you going to do?" Frisk asked. 

"I mostly stayed here so I could finally figure out who the F Gaster was," Flowey replied. "But, um, I'll be around. Just...not consistently."

"Flowey?" Frisk asked. 

"...yeah?"

"Don't give up."

Flowey blinked. "Okay." He disappeared into Frisk's window sill. 

Frisk held up Minerva's heart. "I hope you're okay," she said. 

"Me, too," the heart replied. 

Frisk blinked. "Am I the only one who heard that?" she asked. 

"Nope," Mettaton said. 

The scarf sat in a pile of white dust on the counter. Gaster reached over, picked it up, and shook it off. He tossed it into the air, and it spun around a few times before wrapping around Gaster's neck. "Ah. Back for the end, are you? Or, rather, _an_ end. The end implies that this story is over forever. No. No story is over as long as someone remembers it. And as for me, well, I never needed remembrance or fame." He smiled. "I am feeling much better now."

He walked forward, tracing a hand through the dust. "Ah, but this story is over. For now. Perhaps, perhaps not. But the story of Frisk shall continue. There are other works featuring Frisk. And others featuring her friends. You just need to find them. But for now, this is...

_An end."_

✋ 👍✌☠🕯❄ 👌☜☹✋☜✞☜ ✡⚐🕆 ☼☜✌☹☹✡ ☞☜☹☹ ☞⚐☼ ❄☟✋💧.


End file.
